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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Opposition pact’s seat negotiations hit snag in 5 states
- HRP demands 23 seats from Pakatan
- ‘Najib must ban Merdeka fests, history books’
- PAS chief calls Umno/BN a ‘disease’
- After ousting Pak Lah, Mahathir now turns to Najib?
- Formidable hurdles in KL's education reform
- Ringgit Slides as Europe Crisis Damps Risk Taking; Bonds Drop
- Stop squabbling for seats, DAP tells Pakatan allies
- PAS claims Dr M out to oust Najib
- Malaysian rapper skewers racial ties in new film
- Malaysia PM: Expect To Touch 5% Economic Growth In 2011
- MAS sponsorship for Queen Park Rangers jersey to cost RM18mil
- Najib: NEP to stay, but with modifications
| Opposition pact’s seat negotiations hit snag in 5 states Posted: 13 Sep 2011 07:59 PM PDT
(Bernama) - The opposition pact's seat negotiations still hit a snag in at least five states as their respective state leaders scramble to resolve the differences. The opposition pact partners, PKR, DAP and PAS, are still unable to finalise the seat negotiations for Johor, Pahang, Sarawak, Perak and Kedah where the leaders have asked for more time to resolve the differences, mostly over overlapping claims. "The August deadline was just a guideline. A few states have asked for extension to resolve the matter. It only involves a few seats, not many," said PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution when contacted yesterday. The opposition leaders were supposed to wrap up negotiations over the allocation of state and parliamentary seats for the next general election as soon as possible to avoid any conflict among the three parties. PAS and DAP are said to be eyeing some parliamentary seats won by PKR in the 2008 general election, but In the 2008 general election, the opposition pact secured 82 parliamentary seats, with PKR emerging as the largest opposition party in Parliament with 31 seats, DAP having 28 and PAS 23. The opposition pact managed to wrest control of four states — Selangor, Perak, Penang and Kedah — and retained However, seven PKR members of parliament quit the party after the elections and became independents, and BN took back Perak after three state assemblymen (two from PKR and one from DAP) quit their parties and became independent elected representatives. In the recently concluded Sarawak state election, PKR and DAP locked horns over several key seats, which resulted in the much-publicised row between the leaders of the two parties.
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| HRP demands 23 seats from Pakatan Posted: 13 Sep 2011 06:30 PM PDT The Human Rights Party is threatening a 10,000 people protest if Pakatan does not give it seven parliamentary and 16 state seats. (Free Malaysia Today) - The Human Rights Party (HRP) is demanding that Pakatan Rakyat give up seven parliamentary and 16 state assembly seats to HRP to contest in the general election. Failing which, the party's protem secretary P Uthayakumar has threatened that at least 10,000 Indians will protest outside the PKR headquarters. And that, too, on the first Sunday after Parliament has been dissolved. Uthayakumar said the party came to this decision after Pakatan refused to have any dealing with HRP. Speaking at a forum and fund-raising dinner at Sitiawan on Sunday, he said HRP would be contesting in seven parliamentary and 16 state seats in Indian-based constituencies. The seven parliamentary seats are Padang Serai (Kedah), Batu Kawan (Penang), Ipoh Barat (Perak), Kota Raja (Selangor), Teluk Kemang (Negri Sembilan), Cameron Highlands (Pahang) and Tebrau (Johor). The 16 state seats are Bukit Selambau and Lunas (Kedah), Prai and Bagan Dalam (Penang), Buntong and Hutan Melintang (Perak), Port Dickson and Jeram Padang (Negri Sembilan), Tanah Rata and Ketari (Pahang), Puteri Wangsa and Tiram (Johor) and Sri Andalas, Ijok, Seri Setia and Bukit Melawati (Selangor). Uthayakumar said HRP is eyeing four state seats in Selangor because one-third of the Indian population in Malaysia live in Selangor. "In the last general election, we gave Pakatan a chance where for the first time BN lost its two-third parliament majority and lost control of five states." But, he said Pakatan failed to address the problems faced by the Indian community. "So, this time Hindraf would not give a 'blank check' and make the same mistakes. Our demand is very simple. Let's work together and vote Umno out," he added.
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| ‘Najib must ban Merdeka fests, history books’ Posted: 13 Sep 2011 06:26 PM PDT Two NGOs have asked the government to ban Merdeka celebrations and history books until an accurate account of the nation's past is compiled. (Free Malaysia Today) - Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak must ban Merdeka celebrations and history textbooks until an accurate account of the nation's past is compiled. In making the call, two Indian NGOs urged the government to set up an independent team of experts to research the historical facts. Malaysian Indian Progressive Association (MIPAS) president A Rajeretnam said the government must do this since former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad claimed that the information contained in textbooks was inaccurate. Furthermore, he said the Majlis Professor Negara (MPN) also claimed that the country was never colonised by the British. "The public are confused by these statements," he told a press conference here. As for the proposed independent team, Rajaretnam said it should comprise representatives from the opposition as well as NGOs. "The major issues which should be looked into is why we celebrate independence day and why (first prime minister) Tunku Abdul Rahman is considered the 'Father of Independence' if we have never been colonised by the British," he added. He said the government must also clear the air over Malayan Communist Party member Mat Indera (Muhamad Indera) who fought against the British colonial masters. "Datuk Naning, Tok Gajah, Mat Kilau, Maharaja Lela and others have been declared as national heroes. They did the same thing as Mat Indera, which is to fight against the British," he added. He urged Umno not to destroy the real history of Malaysia because of political interest.
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| PAS chief calls Umno/BN a ‘disease’ Posted: 13 Sep 2011 06:17 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang urged voters today to throw out the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government in the next general election because he said the Umno-led coalition was a "disease" that future generations should not be forced to endure. In a strongly-worded Malaysia Day message, Hadi blamed Umno and BN for the decline in the country's competitiveness, rising cost of living and election fraud. "Do not let Malaysia become weaker under the Umno-BN government, because it is our children and grandchildren's generation who will suffer," he said. Hadi's comments come amid the backdrop of an intense row between PAS and Umno over allegations that Mohamad Sabu, his deputy in the party, had labelled a Communist as an independence fighter. Utusan Malaysia had carried a front-page report on August 27 alleging that Mohamad had said that the communists who attacked the Bukit Kepong police station during the communist insurgency were heroes. The Umno-owned daily reported that Mohamad made the remarks at a political ceramah in Tasek Gelugor, Penang on August 21. Mohamad had repeatedly said that Utusan's coverage of his speech at the time was filled with falsehood, and that immediate legal action was required as the "lies" could affect him and his family. "PAS would like to emphasise that we are against all colonists, whether communist or non-communist, from the east or the west," Hadi said today. "It is the instinct of all human beings regardless of background, race, religion and language to live as free and independent people, with a body and mind independent from all forms of slavery. There will be no sane person who wants to live under the shackles of any occupation, let alone have their minds and actions controlled."
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| After ousting Pak Lah, Mahathir now turns to Najib? Posted: 13 Sep 2011 06:16 PM PDT (Harakah Daily) - Prime Minister Najib Razak is increasingly feeling the pressure once heaped on his predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, following a spate of statements coming from former strongman Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
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| Formidable hurdles in KL's education reform Posted: 13 Sep 2011 04:20 PM PDT By Salim Osman, The Straits Times Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced last month that a committee had been set up to study the country's education system. Its objective is to recommend ways to overhaul the 50-year-old system. Tan Sri Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, was candid when he explained the reason for the revamp: "Our education policy is not on a par with others." That initial announcement was met with much enthusiasm in Malaysia, especially from parents. Even those critical of the system have thrown their support behind the government initiative. This is a good start, showing support for reform. That the government-led initiative can garner support from different sectors of society suggests that on this issue, at least, people take the government's plan seriously and have high hopes for its success. The committee will have to work hard not to dissipate that goodwill, but to harness it to seek solutions. The reforms are also well-timed, as they seek to align education policy with the economic agenda of Prime Minister Najib Razak to bring the country to the next level of development, with high growth and high income by 2020. Malaysia's education system needs to produce workers who are competitive and skilled technically, and who are proficient in English. Without this essential human capital, no true economic transformation can take place. The government committee will present a report later this year. It faces a daunting challenge. The current education system has been shaped by the Razak Report of 1956. Malay is the medium of instruction in all public schools at primary and secondary levels and at higher institutions of learning. At university level, English is widely used, even though in theory Malay, as the national language, is the only medium of instruction for all subjects. As a political concession to non-Malays, the government allows vernacular schools to exist at primary level, where Chinese or Tamil are the languages for instruction. Secondary-level education in Chinese is only available at independent Chinese schools. There are no English-medium schools as all of them were converted to the Malay stream from 1970, in line with the language and education policy. As part of the affirmative actions under the New Economic Policy of 1971, a number of Malay-only programmes and institutions have been created, such as Mara Junior Science colleges, to raise the number of Malay students studying science. There is also an ethnic quota for admission into local tertiary institutions. Critics say that pro-Malay programmes and policies have deprived Chinese students of an equal opportunity to study in public tertiary institutions, forcing them to enrol in large numbers in private colleges and universities. Ironically, these pro-Malay programmes have forced Chinese students to become trilingual in Chinese, Malay and English, giving them an edge over Malay students who tend to be monolingual. Years of emphasis on Malay as the medium of instruction have taken a toll on English proficiency. Employers have grumbled that graduates of public universities - mostly Malays - have such a poor command of the language that they are not employable for many jobs. The government re-introduced English as the medium for science and mathematics in 2003, but faced strong opposition from Malay nationalists and Chinese educationists. While Malays argued the move would dilute the national language, Chinese educationists felt it would undermine Chinese as a medium of instruction in Chinese schools. In 2009, the government announced that the scheme would be scrapped and that the subjects would be taught in Malay once again from next year. The main reason given by the government was that over 67 per cent of the teachers were not competent enough to teach in English, and that more than 73 per cent of the students were not able to cope with the subjects taught in English. But this has not stopped Malay-led groups like Parent Action Group for Education (Page) to continue pressing for the return of English in the teaching of science and mathematics. Others, keenly aware of the benefits of an English education, are calling for the revival of English-medium schools to exist side by side with national and vernacular schools. Getting the language policy in schools right is crucial for Malaysia's future. Another big issue is whether the education system facilitates ethnic integration. Critics say that instead of integrating students of all races, the school system has polarised the population. Ethnic integration is difficult to forge in schools as Malay children attend the Malay-medium national primary schools, staffed almost entirely by Malay teachers. Chinese and Indian parents tend to enrol their children in Chinese and Tamil schools respectively, considering these to be of better quality than Malay-language government schools. Attempts at integrating students of all races through "integrated schools", "vision schools" and "cluster schools" have failed. At the tertiary level, Malays dominate public universities because of the ethnic quota policy that gives 55 per cent of places to Malays, 30 per cent to Chinese and 10 per cent to Indians. Many non-Malays who do well enough to pursue a tertiary education end up in private universities. A rising tide of Islamic fervour has also resulted in government schools becoming more "Islamic" to compete with Islamic schools for Malay students. This, however, has resulted in non-Malay children shunning government schools for vernacular ones. It will not be easy for the government to institute reforms. Education in Malaysia concerns not only the economy and the future of a generation. It is also inextricably bound up with race, and ultimately with politics. The committee may recommend reforms to the existing system. But it will require tremendous political will and difficult negotiation and consultation with relevant stakeholders to carry it out. This will be extremely difficult. And yet it will be necessary, for Malaysia's future. |
| Ringgit Slides as Europe Crisis Damps Risk Taking; Bonds Drop Posted: 13 Sep 2011 03:59 PM PDT Edited by Ven Ram, Sandy Hendry, San Francisco Chronicle Sept. 13 (Bloomberg) - Malaysia's ringgit fell to a two- month low on speculation Europe's debt-market turmoil will sap the global economic recovery and prompt policy makers to halt monetary policy tightening. The currency slid 2.9 percent in seven straight days on concern a default by Greece will temper demand for emerging- market assets. The one-year interest-rate swap declined yesterday to the lowest level in 2011 after Bank Negara Malaysia kept its policy rate on hold last week, citing the possible fallout from the slowdown in the world economy. Bonds dropped. |
| Stop squabbling for seats, DAP tells Pakatan allies Posted: 13 Sep 2011 03:45 PM PDT By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 14 — The DAP has demanded Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parties stop publicly airing disagreements regarding seat negotiations, citing concerns that such incidents could affect the relationship among the coalition parties. DAP national vice chairman Tan Kok Wai said the advice also applied to his own party members, and that PR leaders should abide by rules and guidelines set out by the pact's national leadership regarding the matter. According to Tan, the PR leadership had drawn up specific guidelines during a recent coalition retreat. PR leaders and members have been ordered to negotiate seat allocations internally and to avoid openly discussing or criticising any coalition partner. Tan stressed that it was "imperative" that the guidelines be observed, and that all PR parties should be seen as trusting and co-operative at all times. But the DAP leader also admitted that discussions on seat allocations in various states are still ongoing and have "yet to be concluded." "However, positive strides are being made in finalising the seat arrangements amongst PR coalition members for the coming general elections. "The PR leadership will be making the necessary announcement at the appropriate time once the seat negotiation process has been finalised," he said in a statement today. Tan reminded his own party colleagues against making any statements that may be "misconstrued" as a sign that PR parties were involved in seat tussles. The Malaysian Insider reported on July 20 that PR leaders were confident that negotiations over state and parliamentary seat allocations among PKR, PAS and DAP could be finalised by the end of July, ahead of an anticipated early general election.
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| PAS claims Dr M out to oust Najib Posted: 13 Sep 2011 03:39 PM PDT By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 14 — PAS today accused former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad of exploiting his influence in Umno to mastermind a plot to unseat Datuk Seri Najib Razak ahead of the next general election. PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar named the influential Dr Mahathir as the hidden hand behind an uprising within Umno's ranks against Najib and his men, pointing out that the country's longest serving prime minister had done the same to Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi during the tail-end of his career. "Dr Mahathir has returned to become the mastermind in Umno's chess game... the internal politicking and the chaos in Umno... much like what happened during the movement to topple Pak Lah (Abdullah)," the Pokok Sena MP told a press conference here. Mahfuz attributed his suspicion to a statement by Dr Mahathir during an RTM television interview on Monday when the latter urged Najib against calling for early snap polls and use the time instead to work on searching for winnable candidates for Barisan Nasional (BN). "I think that if it's held a little later, it's OK; there should be time for Najib to make an assessment on who should be chosen as a candidate," Dr Mahathir had said. Mahfuz said Dr Mahathir's was subtly hinting to Najib his view that the prime minister himself was incapable of leading BN to victory in the coming polls, seen as the ruling pact's most crucial to date after a poor showing during Election 2008. The PAS man alleged that Umno leaders themselves now consider Najib a liability to the party and are conspiring to replace him before the polls. "That is why Dr Mahathir is asking Najib to delay the polls because they are now admitting to internal pressure within Umno, they do not want the elections to be called in a situation where Najib is still the leader," he said. PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali made a similar allegation recently of a purportedly huge uprising within Umno to oust Najib amid fears that the prime minister and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor would cost BN its hold on Putrajaya in the coming polls. But the Islamist party claimed that Najib was fully aware of this movement and has refused to step down as he is determined to lead BN into the polls, expected to be held in coming months.
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| Malaysian rapper skewers racial ties in new film Posted: 13 Sep 2011 01:25 PM PDT By MSN Philippines News An ethnic Chinese rapper accused of stirring Malaysian racial tensions has brought his social commentary to cinemas with a food-themed comedy celebrating the country's mixed cultural recipe.
But Wee Meng Chee -- better known by the alias Namewee -- characteristically pulls few punches in "Nasi Lemak 2.0," an unusually daring exploration of a tide of racial distrust that has stoked concern in multi-ethnic Malaysia. The comedy, named after the national rice dish and which opened last week, takes an unflinching but ultimately fond look at many of the racial stereotypes that Muslim-majority Malaysia's various ethnic groups aim at each other. The main character, an arrogant chef played by Wee, expresses revulsion at Islamic practices such as circumcision. In another scene, an ethnic Chinese student complains of difficulty getting into college, a reference to quota policies and other privileges favoring the dominant Malay ethnic group. "My message is that the system in Malaysia is unequal... But when we live together, we eat together, there is no racism," said Wee, sitting for an interview with AFP wearing his trademark beanie pulled down to his eyes. More than half of Malaysia's near 28 million population are Malay Muslims, who live alongside sizeable Chinese, Indian and indigenous minorities. Overt racial and religious antagonism has been largely avoided since deadly race riots in 1969. But tensions have increased recently amid rising resentment over the Malay preferential policies, a trend toward what many say is increasing Islamisation of society, and other recent disputes. Wee first stirred the hornet's nest in 2007, shooting to celebrity with a song mocking the national anthem. In 2009, authorities threatened sedition charges over another song, "Nah" -- based on a real incident -- which lashes out a Malay school headmistress who makes racist slurs against her ethnic Chinese and Indian students. Wee insists he is a patriotic Malaysian and that his art is meant to provoke a positive discussion leading to fairness and social harmony. With potentially divisive snap elections expected to be called soon, Prime Minister Najib Razak has pushed his "1Malaysia" campaign promoting ethnic unity, and Wee said the film was meant to support that. However, he adds: "I want to show the real Malaysia, how we live together. For 1Malaysia to work we have to be treated equally." "I just want to share my music, my creativity with my true feelings without hiding anything." The film's plot is anchored in Malaysia's undisputed common cultural touchstone: love of the country's diverse and spicy cuisine. Wee plays Chef Huang, who studied Chinese cooking in China and ridicules Malay food. Roped into a cooking competition, he finds however that he needs the help of people from all races -- including a Malay with four wives and Indians who dance Bollywood-style -- to create a delicious new version of nasi lemak. Co-producer Fred Chong told AFP the movie -- which mixes several of the nation's languages and dialects -- made more than 1.5 million ringgit ($500,000) in its first four days in cinemas, closing in on a previous high of 1.6 million ringgit for a movie by an ethnic Chinese producer. Malaysia's film market is dominated by Malay and, above all, Hollywood films. "Nasi Lemak 2.0" was made on less than 1 million ringgit after private investors pulled out last year, spooked by the threat of sedition charges against Wee. None were ever filed. Despite the film's positive message, Wee remains outspoken. He said "Nasi Lemak 2.0" was aimed at Internet-savvy Malaysian youngsters fed up with official calls for unity by the Malay-dominated government that has been in power for decades. "Our government always treats the people who are against them or disagree with them as criminals," he added, referring to the threatened sedition charges. With its cast of local stars, song-and-dance numbers, martial arts routines, and numerous jokes drawing on current events, the movie has proven a hit with some, and Wee's Facebook page has been bombarded with supportive postings. "Nasi Lemak 2.0 may not be perfect, but it has its moments," leading English daily The Star said in a review. "It's a Malaysian movie, yes, but it is out to make us take a good hard look at ourselves... and laugh."
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| Malaysia PM: Expect To Touch 5% Economic Growth In 2011 Posted: 13 Sep 2011 01:19 PM PDT By Ankur Relia KUALA LUMPUR (Dow Jones)--Malaysia's export-driven economy is likely to expand 5% this year, but a serious downturn in the global economy will hurt its prospects for further growth, Prime Minister Najib Razak said Tuesday. "To get beyond 5% growth we need strong external demand," Najib told participants in Forbes Global CEO Conference in Kuala Lumpur. |
| MAS sponsorship for Queen Park Rangers jersey to cost RM18mil Posted: 13 Sep 2011 01:00 PM PDT
This is how the new queens park rangers home jersey will look like now that Malaysia Airlines are the new sponsors. (The Star) - PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Airlines' (MAS) recently-announced sponsorship for the Queen Park Rangers (QPR) home jersey in the Barclays Premier League will cost the national carrier some RM18mil or 3.7mil, according to a source. The total sponsorship fee for both MAS and AirAsia for the English professional football club, which involves a term of two years, would cost some RM30mil (6.2mil), the source added. "MAS will take up a bulk or almost 60% of the total fees while the remaining will be forked out by AirAsia Bhd and its related companies which could also involve AirAsia X. "Typically, the home jersey sponsorship is more expensive than the away jersey," the source said. On Monday, MAS and AirAsia signed a jersey deal for QPR which will see the MAS logo adorn the jersey at home while the AirAsia logo will be used on the team's away games. "This sponsorship is the first major initiative of our new brand and marketing strategy that would see important advertising money spent on boosting our top line. This is a key component in our drive to regain global market share, profitability," said MAS executive director Mohammed Rashdan Yusof. Even so, most analysts are not thrilled. Their main grouse is that MAS should instead be focusing on strengthening its flagging financial status and showing some concrete moves towards this end. Moreover, the crucial post of a chief executive officer for MAS has still yet to be filled. The sponsorship deal by the two airlines closely follows a landmark share-swap deal involving the major shareholders of the respective airlines in early August which had turned the rivals into allies. AirAsia's chief steward and major shareholder Tan Sri Tony Fernandesand his partner, Datuk Kamarudin Meranun, collectively own a 75% stake in Tune QPR Sdn Bhd, which in turn owns 66% of QPR Holdings Ltd. Fernandes, who only recently acquired the stake in the football club, is currently chairman of QPR. In an earlier announcement to Bursa Malaysia, AirAsia said it would cough up some RM2.4mil or 500,000 as sponsorship fees for the duration of the two-year term. Only in June this year, Genting UK, the largest casino operator in Britain, sealed a pact to be the main jersey sponsor for Aston Villa for two years. Although the amount was not disclosed, a source said the total sponsorship fees for the two years collectively involved some RM17mil or 3.5mil.
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| Najib: NEP to stay, but with modifications Posted: 13 Sep 2011 12:42 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - The prime minister reassured Malaysians that affirmative action policies introduced in the New Economic Policy (NEP), however they would evolve to become more market friendly and merit based. Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the government was setting out to create more opportunities for Bumiputeras rather than just imposing quotas in economic activities, Bernama Online reported. Najib, who is also the finance minister, said that there is realisation the NEP is not popular with the market, and also not really helping Bumiputeras.
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Mahfuz (left) said Mahathir was being widely seen as the mastermind behind a plan to oust Najib before the general election.
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